A Little Extra Love

Sparkle Cleanse Day 6 - Treat Yo Self Day 45

6 Steps to Sparkle

Inspired by Kris Carr., (2011) Crazy Sexy Diet. CT: Globe Pequot Press

1. Inspiration: "Emotional detox symptoms are very, very normal. Irritability and feeling a little depressed and teary is part of the process. You've removed the food vices that covered your pain, the snacks that created a false sense of joy (for like thirty seconds). Good for you! Substances that make us numb out are veils. Wear them on your wedding if you want, but not for the rest of your life. I promise the clouds will clear very soon - but they will come back if you don't do some emotional weeding." 
2. Focus: Me! Put some time aside to rest and refresh today. Take stock of the week and write in my journal about challenges, victories, and any tips that will help in the next few weeks. Use kind language and when done scribbling, go do something lovely - all for me! Mani? Rub? Walk? Tea with a fun friend? "Free time spent without food might leave you feeling, well, aimless. Fill it with experiences that can become wonderful memories. At the end of our lives, memories are all we have. Make a lot of them!"
3. Prayer: May I be happy and free. May I be loving and loved. May I be healthy and whole.
4. Affirmation: Each step is a victory. Each fall is a lesson. either way, I am improving. 
5. Body Movin': Add in a few long luxurious stretched after the exercise routine. Include affirmations with every move. Touch my toes: I am flexible. Twist to the side: I am gutsy. Reach for the sky: I am expansive. Bend over backward: I am lean. Stand on head: I am a great chef! 
6. Tip: Shop! For spinach, not shoes. Make sure to drink enough water, get enough good fats, and chomp greens. Start to notice that I'm less hungry and that I may be loosing weight, but that's a side effect, not the main point.

My Reflection:

      Today I spend time doing two of my favorite things: Decorating and Baking. Anyone who has ever been to my home, knows that the living room arrangement is always changing. With the energy today I focused on the bedroom and artwork. It's always good to see things in a new way! Every six months or so, I will move around most of the artwork in our home and it's always enjoyable.

      I then spent the evening baking a gluten-free yellow cake recipe, mini apple pies with the new tart pans and getting the cake ready for a Cake Push Pop order. As I whipped the egg whites into stiff peaks I asked myself how I feel knowing that I couldn't (or shouldn't) eat the tasty treats I was making? I found a safe place to let myself feel that sad and overwhelmed - I'm doing something I love, but if I ate it - it would harm my body and myself.

      At my last appointment with Dr. Margaret I described the Halloween candy experience; pointed out two new spots of dry skin spots and as we talked further she said it was Candida and it was now in Die-Off mode. This wasn't the first time I'd heard about this, but it was certainly the first time I was 100% sure that this was it. While the first 38 days of my Treat Yo Self Cleanse I'd been doing a better job with the elimination of sugars, although every so often I would chose to have some. Well, I'd feel the effects after I'd eat a bite size piece of cake or candy - something with such a highly concentrated amount of sugar.

      Armed with new supplements, I felt anxious, overwhelmed and disappointed. I felt as if I hadn't been doing a "good enough job" with the cleanse. If only I would have avoid sugar - even more, maybe I would have discovered these symptoms sooner. As I breathe, I know that this has played out the way it should. And it's obvious, the pain I'm experiencing is triggered by something I am eating - it's my body's way of letting me know and I am going to listen. The journey I am on and the changes I've implemented have been transformational and will continue to be. And while I'm going through the Candida Die-Off and it's uncomfortable I'm going to love myself - even more!